


Tinsel and Glow

by QwahaXahn



Series: She-Ra Modern AUs [1]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora (She-Ra) is a Dork, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bow Is a Good Friend (She-Ra), Canon Lesbian Relationship, Catra (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Christmas, Christmas Cookies, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Music, Christmas Party, Christmas Special, Christmas Tree, Cozy, F/F, F/M, First Christmas, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Glimmer (She-Ra) is a Good Friend, Glimmer-centric (She-Ra), Holiday Special, Holiday Sweaters, Holidays, Human Catra (She-Ra), Jock Adora (She-Ra), Lesbian Adora (She-Ra), Lesbian Catra (She-Ra), Lesbian Character, Lesbian Disaster Adora (She-Ra), Lesbian Disaster Catra (She-Ra), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Ugly Holiday Sweaters, Useless Lesbians, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Winter, catradora, winter holidays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28121808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QwahaXahn/pseuds/QwahaXahn
Summary: Glimmer is hosting the annual holiday party. It's Catra's first time celebrating with the squad, and Glimmer is determined that this year will be the best one yet. Bow wants her to relax, but there's no way she'll let Adora down. Catra is gonna feel so warm and welcome! Whether she wants to or not!Happy holidays, everyone. Have some fluffy Best Friends Squad—and (safely) hug your loved ones real tight this year.
Relationships: Adora & Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Bow (She-Ra), Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra)
Series: She-Ra Modern AUs [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2060214
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	Tinsel and Glow

“Do you think it needs more tinsel?”

“Glimmer,” he said gently, leaning forward in his seat on the couch. “It looks perfect.”

She took an anxious step back, biting her lip and tilting her head this way and that, taking in the living room. “There’s not much space to sit.” She pressed a hand to her forehead and made a low, frustrated noise. “Ughhh, we should have gotten a smaller tree.”

A smile on his lips, Bow reached out and took hold of her hand. Glimmer glanced down at him, then looked back at the multicolored lights that threaded throughout the room. He tugged gently on her hand, and she sighed, letting him pull her gently down to take a seat next to him on the soft red cushions.

“I just need this party to be perfect,” she said.

“Honey.” Bow reached out a hand and tucked a lock of pink hair behind her ear, revealing her tiny, sparkling white snowflake earrings. “These are our best friends. They already love us—you don’t need to worry.”

“Yeah, except this is our first holiday with Catra.” Glimmer met his eyes, her brow furrowed in concern. “I want her to feel comfortable. And welcome. What if I scare her off? Adora would never forgive me!”

Bow chuckled and pressed a kiss to his girlfriend’s forehead. “I promise you that you’ve put ten times more thought into tonight than Adora and Catra combined. Besides,” he raised an eyebrow and smiled at her, “what’s not to love?”

Glimmer’s anxious expression flickered, replaced in part by something much warmer and deeper. She cupped a hand to his head and pulled him into a soft kiss. The two lingered for a moment, gentle piano from the stereo system floating through the room with just the two of them, here for the moment, alone. They felt each other’s breath, each other’s lips... and then a single electronic chime rang through the space—the doorbell. They slowly broke apart.

“Wow.” Bow blinked, looking a little dazed. “What did I do?”

Glimmer gave him a subtle smile as she drew away, standing and heading around the stairs to get the door.

“I’m serious,” Bow called after her. “I want to know so I can do it again.”

Glimmer shook her head, grinning as she stepped up to the door and peeked through the peephole. Outside on the porch, she saw a dark-haired girl bundled into a maroon turtleneck and puffy black jacket. Next to her stood a tall, athletic blonde in an ill-fitting green sweater with a snowman embroidered on the chest. The two shuffled awkwardly, their breath pooling in foggy clouds in front of them.

Glimmer pulled her head back from the door and shouted back toward the living room. “They’re here!”

“Oh! I’ll grab the snacks.” A scrambling noise followed as Bow presumably stumbled to the kitchen.

Shaking her head and smiling even wider, Glimmer took one more look through the peephole—and saw the precise moment when Catra got up on her tip-toes to plant a quick kiss on Adora’s unsuspecting cheek. Glimmer suppressed a delighted squee, choosing instead to pull the door open.

“Adora!” she exclaimed, spreading her arms to welcome them in.

The blonde blinked, looking quickly back and forth between Glimmer and Catra—the latter of whom seemed to be very carefully concealing a smirk. Perhaps it was just the cold, but Adora’s cheeks seemed to burn a very vibrant crimson in that moment.

“Hi Catra,” Glimmer said, pulling the brunette into a tight hug.

“Oh,” the girl murmured. “Hey Sparkles. Happy Holidays.”

“Come on in, let’s go!” Glimmer urged, pulling the two women into the warmth of the house and shutting the door behind them.

Adora seemed to have recovered from her moment of surprise, and she embraced Glimmer with all of her considerable strength as the two greeted each other for real.

“Oh, you look so good,” Adora gushed. “The hair is so cool!”

Glimmer flipped her hair a little in response, smiling appreciatively. “Thanks—I think this dye really works.”

“It’s a strong one,” Bow noted, coming around the staircase with a tray of drinks in his hands. He handed the tray off to Glimmer and pressed a small, black mug into Catra’s hands, leaning in to give her a welcoming peck on the cheek.

“Ah, it’s a cat,” the brunette noted, awkwardly examining the pointy-eared sculpting of the container in her hands. “Clever.”

Glimmer crossed quickly to Catra’s side, getting out of the way as Adora and Bow practically tackled each other in the center of the foyer, quickly dissolving into excited laughing, grunts, and attempted noogies. She watched the dark-haired girl out of the corner of her eye, shifting a little on her feet.

 _Come on, Glim,_ she muttered to herself. _Say something! Make her feel welcome!_

“They, uh... they really get into it, huh?” Catra mused, raising her eyebrows at the increasingly chaotic display of affection before them.

Glimmer blinked, but quickly nodded. “Yep. I learned a while ago that it’s best to let them get the energy out now.” She considered the pair again. “Could be a while, though.”

“Well.” Catra slowly stretched, letting out a quiet yawn. “I’m gonna go camp out on the couch, then.”

Glimmer laughed. “Count me in.”

The two weaved through the small apartment space and nestled in on opposite sides of the couch. A moment of quiet settled between them as they listened to a husky-voiced woman croon through the speakers about the warmth of the season and decorations of the heart. Glimmer followed Catra’s gaze as she gave the interior of the room a once-over with her gaze. The pink-haired girl bit her lip again, noticing all the little errors and odd decorations throughout.

 _We really should have gotten a smaller tree,_ she thought.

“This is...” Catra paused. “You’re so good at this.”

Glimmer blinked, looking over at her. “What?”

“The,” she waved a hand, “decorating. I could never make anything look this pretty.”

A warm little glow ignited in Glimmer’s chest. “Oh, it’s nothing. I just dug a bunch of knick-knacks out of the closet is all.”

“Believe me,” Catra replied, “it’s impressive. I tried to wrap some tinsel once—and I managed to get stuck in it. For _an hour_.”

“Nobody helped you get out?” Glimmer asked, eyes widening.

“”Well,” Catra shrugged. “Ms. Weaver wouldn’t have come even if I called. And we weren’t supposed to have any decorations in our rooms because of safety, or something. I would’ve gotten in trouble if she found out.”

Glimmer’s warm glow turned into a spark of indignant fury. “ _What?_ What sort of awful person—?”

“That was life, y’know?” Catra seemed smaller, somehow. “The, uh, the orphanage was my only option. It was all I knew, since I was old enough to... know stuff...”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Glimmer sat up and leaned forward. “I didn’t know you... well...”

Catra gave her an awkward half-smile. “Nobody did. You’re okay. I didn’t deal with it too well once I got out... but I’m getting better. I’m glad I didn’t meet Adora back then. I was not a great person myself.”

“You seem perfect to me,” Glimmer confessed. “And Adora likes you a lot.”

Catra’s eyebrow shot up. “A lot?”

“A lot, a lot,” the pink-haired girl repeated, nodding in an exaggerated display.

“A lot, a _lot?”_ Catra asked, leaning forward as a smile broke on her face.

“A lot, a lot, a _lot,”_ Glimmer declared, and the two collapsed into giggles together as their respective others at last reappeared from around the corner.

“What’s going on in here?” Adora asked.

Catra folded her arms and smiled at Glimmer. “Oh, nothing much.”

Bow raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

“Hey,” Glimmer said, eyeing Adora’s sweater. “By the way... how old is that thing? It does not fit at all.”

Adora folded her arms, looking sheepish. “I really like it.”

“It’s brand new,” Catra said, curling her legs up underneath her and smiling over the lip of her mug, “but it’s mine. That dork doesn’t own any holiday jumpers.”

Bow gasped, shooting Adora a scandalized look.

“They’re seasonal,” Adora muttered. “I don’t want to buy them if I can only wear them once a year.”

“That’s the only time we wear sweaters _anyway,_ dork,” Catra pointed out.

Adora drew herself up and gave Catra an intense look. Then, she took a couple of steps forward and leaned down close to her girlfriend. Catra curled up tighter on the couch as she approached, but the two kept their eyes locked. Adora set down her mug on the side table and brandished her fingers threateningly, tickling the air.

“Oh really?”

Catra glared. “You will _not.”_

The stare-down held for several moments... and slowly Glimmer realized the women’s expressions were becoming intense in a very... different way. She shot Bow a knowing look, surreptitiously sidling up off of the couch and pulling him with her into the kitchen as Catra and Adora quickly entwined themselves together.

“You see?” Bow whispered as they pulled the cookies together onto platters. “Nothing to worry about.”

For the second time that evening, the doorbell cut into their exchange. Glimmer raised an eyebrow at him. “So far. Go get the door, will you?”

As he made to leave, she pecked him on the cheek, and he smiled over his shoulder at her as he slipped out through the living room. Glimmer paused, resting her hands on the countertop and rolling her shoulders to loosen them up. In the distance, she heard the delighted calls of more party guests on their way in. She sidled up to the doorway and peered out into the living room beyond.

Adora and Catra were now curled up on top of each other in the armchair, smiling and waving hellos as Sea Hawk and Mermista came in, followed shortly by Scorpia, Perfuma... and Entrapta in a set of several Santa hats all stacked up on top of each other. The flat quickly filled with noise and bubbling cheer as the group began reminiscing together.

Glimmer’s gaze met Bow’s across the room, and he shot her that same warm smile that still melted her knees after all this time. She looked over at the rest of the room. At her friends and her family and the people she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

She didn’t have to look up to know when Bow stepped up next to her.

“You were right,” she said. “They do love us.”

“Yeah.” He sighed. “And you were right. We should have gotten a smaller tree.”

Glimmer laughed, turned to settle into his embrace. The two looked at each other quietly for a moment. She glanced up above his head.

“Oh—mistletoe.”

He glanced up, and chuckled. “You got me. I guess I’m pretty gullible after a—”

She cut him off with a kiss. “Happy holidays, Bow.”

The End.


End file.
